Longevity Noodles for Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is an opportunity to honor family and friends, and to enjoy some culinary traditions. So, what foods we should have on hand to ensure a prosperous and happy year to come? Here are 10 Good Luck foods for Chinese New Year:

Tangerines and Oranges

Long Noodles

The Tray of Togetherness: a tray filled with things such as preserved kumquats for prosperity, coconut for togetherness and red melon seeds for happiness.

Nian Gao: a cake

Pomelo: a large citrus fruit

Jai: a vegetarian dish

Long Leafy Greens and long beans

Whole fish

Sweets

Yuanbao (Jiaozi): dumplings

These noodles are traditionally served at Chinese New Year’s feasts. An ancient Chinese belief says that long noodles are the key to a long life so don’t cut the noodles as you eat them. I used what I had in my pantry. These are my go-to brown rice noodles.

You only need to boil these for about 4-5 minutes. After that, simply whisk together the sesame oil, garlic and soy sauce and a pinch of salt, to taste, until combined. Pour the mixture over the noodles and toss well to coat.

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Add the noodles, stir, and cook for about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside in a large serving bowl.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce and salt and white pepper, to taste, until combined well. Pour the mixture over the noodles and toss well to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt/pepper and/or soy sauce if necessary. Garnish with diced green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Comments

Happy new year Alice! I like that list, or most of it… you know, fish and me don’t match, lol! I will take the kumquats (Love them!!), the noodles and the tangerines. Did you know pomelo is simply grapefruit here?

Hey Paula! I had no idea what a pomelo even was until I read this! When I lived in San francisco, this time of the year was always so exciting because there’s such a large Chinese population there. . I love how all the food symbolizes something. . Happy Lunar New Year! 🙂

A Pomello and a grapefruit are not exactly the same. A Pomello has a much much thicker skin and is white or very light pink inside. The fruit is much larger and much more mild in flavor. In choosing a Pomello you need to pick the heaviest one there is, which indicates water content in the fruit. If it’s very light it will be dry and not good

Happy New Year, dearest Alice! I looooooooove noodles so much and your dish looks delicious. You seriously don’t need to douse noodles in a ton of sauce. I like them the simpler the better. Is there any grittiness to these noodles? I tried whole wheat pasta few years ago and I couldn’t get over the texture. I know its better for me but I just can’t bring myself to eat it! I’ve got egg noodles and all the condiments at home. I should make this for dinner tonight!

Hey! Honestly, these taste like regular pasta noodles to me. . that’s why I always buy this brand. Yes, make this with egg noodles and tell me what you think! Paul drenched these noodles with sriracha sauce but me and the girls ate these just the way they are presented here. yes, it’s totally simple! I was really surprised when I saw the recipe! Gung hay fat choy!

Yay for short-prep-time-long-live-time noodles! 😉 These look delicious. I’ve always been a little nervous about experimenting with rice stick noodles, but I don’t know why — you make it sound so easy and delicious! Love the fresh and bright photos, too. Happy new year, Alice!

These look so delicious, and I love that it’s such a quick recipe! I’m adding this to my menu for the week. Noodles are my greatest weakness, but if they’re brown rice noodles I feel pretty good about eating them. 🙂

I don’t know why I didn’t know that noodles symbolized longevity till today…yours is the second post I’ve read with this info. Loving the look of this recipe…simple, yet delicious!!! Are you tired of winter in Wisconsin yet??? Spring cannot arrive too soon!

Hi Christine! The ones I used for this recipe, Annie Chun’s, you can find at most grocery stores in the Asian or ethnic food aisle. Additionally, you should be able to find long wheat-flour noodles at any Asian market (get the fresh ones if you can). Hope this helps! Please let me know if you find them! This is a great side dish to make for Chinese New Year!!

As a Chinese woman born and raised in North America under a very traditional family. I thought I’d just mention that it is VERY bad to have your chopsticks standing upright like that. I remember being scolded by my parents as kid for doing it because it resembles incense from a funeral and overall death.

Thank you for the recipe though. I’m looking for a longevity noodle recipe for my mom’s 60th birthday!

[…] from Hip Foodie Mom is a dear friend. She makes amazing sweet or savory dishes. I just love her longevity noodles for the Chinese New Year. How about these Extra Spicy Honey-Sriaracha Chicken Wings…so good!! […]

[…] Long Noodles: These noodles are traditionally served at Chinese New Year’s feasts. An ancient Chinese belief says that long noodles are the key to a long life so don’t cut the noodles! Click here for this recipe! […]

[…] and the dumplings (entitled, The ONLY Dumpling recipe you’ll ever need). We also cooked a simple noodle recipe from Hip Foodie Mom. (For those not in the know: hot pot is basically a vat of bubbling broth, into which you dip and […]

Meet Alice

Hello! My name is Alice. Here, at Hip Foodie Mom, you will find fresh food recipes using local, seasonal ingredients. From meat dishes to vegetarian to Asian inspired dishes, you are sure to find something you like. Thank you for stopping by!